"It means everything." He stands. Looks down at me. "Your brother's life depends on you saying yes. Your life depends on it. That baby's life depends on it."
"Don't threaten my child." The words snap out.
This doesn't have its desired effect. He smiles.
"Our child, love."
"I want to go home?—"
"Home doesn't exist anymore." His voice is brutal. Factual. "The moment you got pregnant, the moment your brother sold you to the Morozovs, the moment Dimitri Morozov put his hands on you, your old life ended."
Tears burn my eyes. "You can't just force me?—"
"I'm not forcing you. I'm giving you a choice." He moves to the window, looks out at the city. "Marry me. Tomorrow morning at the courthouse. Become Seraphina Nero and gain the protection of one of the most powerful families in New York."
He pauses, lets it sink in.
"Or refuse. Gabriel dies within forty-eight hours—I can't protect someone who isn't family. The Morozovs will find you within a week. And that baby you're carrying?" His eyes drop to my stomach. "Becomes leverage. Or collateral damage. Depending on their mood."
I feel sick.
"That's not a choice. That's blackmail."
"Call it that if it makes you feel better. I call it reality."
"Why can't we just talk?—"
"No time." His tone is final. "The sharks are circling."
"What if I run?"
"You won't." He pauses at the door. "Because you love your brother too much. And despite everything, you're smart enough to know that marrying me is the only way you both survive."
He leaves. The door closes behind him. I hear the lock click.
I look down at the ring on my finger. It's beautiful and old—and wrong.
So wrong.
It's perfectly sized.
Like he planned this.
The tears come then. Hot and fast and angry. Because he's right. I can't run. Can't leave Gabe to die. Can't put this baby at risk.
And if what he says is true, that's exactly what I'd be doing.
I'm trapped.
By circumstance. By Adrian. By my own stupid choices.
Tomorrow I'm getting married to a man who killed someone in front of me. A man I barely know. A man who might be the most dangerous person I've ever met.
Tomorrow, I become Seraphina Nero.
And I have absolutely no choice in the matter.
I curl up in his bed, the ring heavy on my finger, and cry until there are no tears left.
